Some Star Wars games gently invite you into the galaxy. Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back kicked the door open, threw you onto Hoth, and started blasting before you had time to ask where the health pickups were. Released for the Super Nintendo in 1993, the game remains one of the most gloriously punishing entries in the long history of Star Wars gaming. It took the darkest chapter of the original trilogy and turned it into fast, loud, side-scrolling chaos full of blaster fire, platforming, boss fights, vehicle sequences, and absolutely no concern for your blood pressure. In the wider complete history of Star Wars games, it stands as a perfect example of early console Star Wars: ambitious, dramatic, slightly unfair, and very willing to hurt you. The Empire Struck Hard on SNES The Super Star Wars trilogy did not adapt the films quietly. These games took familiar movie…
